Ethics commissioner says MP Adams letter to CRTC improper

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Mississauga-Brampton South MP Eve Adams has been told by Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson it was improper to send a letter to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in support of a Brampton radio station application for a broadcasting license.

Federal Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson says it was "improper" for a Mississauga MP to write to the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) in support of a radio station in Brampton that was applying for a broadcasting license.

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Although Mississauga-Brampton South MP Eve Adams wrote the letter on her MP letterhead, in the signature line she included a reference to her public office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

Dawson has ruled it was wrong for Adams to send the March 12 letter.

"While parliamentary secretaries are not precluded from representing their constituents in their capacity as Members of Parliament, they are prohibited, under section 9 of the (Conflict of Interest) Act, from using their positions as public office holders to seek to influence decision-making so as to improperly further the private interests of another person," said the commissioner's office in a statement.

Oshawa MP Colin Carrie was also admonished for sending a similar letter to the CRTC in support of a different radio station.

Dawson ordered Adams not to send similar letters in the future without seeking approval from her office first. She said no investigation will be launched.

Adams said her position as a parliamentary secretary had "nothing to do" with the matter.

"I work very hard to represent my constituents as their Member of Parliament," said Adams. "It was my intention to write in my capacity as a Member of Parliament as I believed was allowed under the Conflict of Interest Act and my role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs has nothing to do with the constituent matter in question. To ensure I was in compliance with the rules, I reviewed all correspondence and proactively reported this letter to the Ethics Commissioner."

The Prime Minister's Office sent a letter to the CRTC saying "the intention of these (MPs) was to write in their capacity as Members of Parliament as they believed they were permitted to do by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Act."

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was rapped over the knuckles earlier this month by the ethics commissioner for doing something similar. Flaherty had written to the federal broadcast regulator in his capacity as a minister rather than as an MP, which Dawson said breached ethics rules.

Prior to Dawson's ruling, Adams said: "It was an unfortunate administrative oversight and I will be sure this doesn't happen again."